🤔 5 Ways You're Getting Sidetracked Without Knowing It
Tips.Tricks.Hacks.Apps.Tools.All of this is noise and it doesn't matter.
Do you know what matters?
Focus.Commitment.Accountability.Discipline.Mission.
No more apps. No more hacks. No more tips and tricks.
No more anything until you master those last 5 lines above.It was just Valentine's Day, right?A day where we praise commitment with gratitude. How about your commitment to yourself? It will be much harder to commit to anyone else if you can't master this inside yourself first.
2 Minute Action
In 2 minutes, you could meditate and practice focus.In 2 minutes, you could practice your commitment to yourself (drawing, playing an instrument, writing, etc.)In 2 minutes, you could tell a friend about your workout plan so they won't let you off the hook.In 2 minutes, you could do just one thing you dislike doing.In 2 minutes, you could write out your personal mission statement.I just came up with these on-the-fly. You can steal one of these actions or come up with your own.Either way, it's critical that you start, even if you start small.
This App You’re Using Is No Better Than CDROM
Have you seen this one in every hotel?
Control this TV with your phone
The benefit of the app can’t be that it replaces the remote. The remote works just fine. Why do we need to replace it?
If we’re going to build an app, it should be doing more than the remote. It should beat the remote.
The magic of an app can’t be that the same capabilities of the remote are now on a shiny screen!
We already went through that!
That was CDROM in the 90s!
How is that better?
A lot of resources go into technology products and if we’re developing with a lean mindset, this product really needs to justify why it exists.
That product really needs to justify why it took so many developer hours and venture capital.
There are a few times it’s okay to invest in something to achieve “feature parity.”
Feature parity just means that the new thing has the same capabilities or features as the old version.
This can be okay but only under certain conditions, like when it enables you to build more or better future features at less cost or more stability or by using less computer processing hours.
That’s an investment. That’s justified.
Having a lean mindset means that tasks, features, and innovations are all fighting for their lives to stay on your task list.
2 Minute Action
You have a list of things to do?
Great.
Spend 2 minutes right now, going top to bottom.
Everything must fight for its life to stay on the list.
Good questions to ask:
What might happen if I put this off?
What might happen if I never finish this?
Why You Actually Should Get Rich
I was recently in a meeting with a client who was criticizing the cash flow of a project.Basically, she was saying that we weren’t helping enough people because we were a “for-profit” project.I can see this point of view, I spent some time in academia after all
The trouble here is her assumption that money is the only or top goal.
Money is a tool, just like any other resource. We just get it directly from our customers, and you get it from donors or government stipends.But guess where that donation came from?Someone built a business and then invested the earnings on Wall Street—and then decided to donate to you.If you got your money from the government, the money can from taxpayer dollars.
Here’s the punchline, people:
You can’t help people if you’re broke.In fact, you might not even be able to help yourself.Money is oxygen. It will fuel everything you want to do. It the means to an end—get this inverted and you will be very unhappy.It’s what you want to do with that resource that’s the important part to focus on.Yes. You should get rich.Then take that money and use it to solve problems for people.
2 Minute Action
How are you building your financial security and stability?Take 2 minutes right now to download an investment app like Stash or Acorns or iBillionaire.You don’t have to spend a whole day looking at Black Rock mutual funds. You can do that later over a slow weekend.Just take this moment to consider your financial trajectory and if that maps to your vision for where you want to be.If the answer is “I don’t know,” or “I don’t have a vision,” then you know where you need to start.